1. Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
11 Facts About Robert Calder
1. 2.
Robert Calder's father was the 3rd Baronet Calder of Muirton, who had been appointed Gentleman Usher of the Privy chamber to the queen by Lord Bute in 1761.
3.
Robert Calder initially served aboard his cousin's ship, the 70-gun Nassau, in the American theatre of the Seven Years' War.
4.
Robert Calder had at this time become regarded as one of the Royal Navy's foremost experts on maneuvering by signal-flag and in administering a large fleet.
5.
The allies outnumbered the British, but Robert Calder ordered his fleet into action.
6.
Robert Calder focused on protecting his newly won prizes, while the French Admiral Villeneuve declined to force another engagement.
7.
In consequence of the strong feeling against him, Robert Calder demanded a court-martial.
8.
Robert Calder left in early October 1805, missing the Battle of Trafalgar.
9.
Ultimately, Robert Calder's defence rested on the discretion of a commander in battle, rather than in the physical impossibility of rejoining battle, contrary to Nelson's suggestions.
10.
Therefore, as Robert Calder later lamented, he had fought the battle under one set of standards and been tried against another.
11.
Robert Calder died at Holt, near Bishop's Waltham, in Hampshire, in 1818.